Adaptive Airbag Deployment for Vehicle Occupant Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle occupant protection systems fail to provide adequate protection for occupants of varying physiques during collisions, as standard seatbelts and airbags do not effectively restrain and absorb impact forces regardless of the occupant's size, leading to potential head and neck injuries.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle occupant protection device comprising a three-point seatbelt with a force limiter and an airbag system that includes upper-side, outer-side, and inner-side portions deployable at different pressure levels, controlled by an occupant identification system to tailor deployment based on the occupant's physique, ensuring appropriate restraint and impact absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard airbag deploys at a fixed pressure level, then the deployment is simple and reliable, but it cannot provide adequate protection for occupants of varying physiques
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into three distinct deployment pressure levels (first, second, and third pressure levels), with different portions of the airbag deploying at each level. This segmentation allows the system to provide differentiated protection for occupants of different physiques without requiring a completely separate airbag system for each body type.
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag deployment pressure is made dynamic rather than fixed. The controller selectively deploys the airbag at different pressure levels based on real-time detection of occupant physique, allowing the same airbag to adapt its deployment characteristics to match the specific needs of each occupant.
2Strength
If the airbag deploys at high pressure to protect larger occupants, then head and neck protection is improved, but small occupants may suffer from excessive impact force
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the airbag are designed to deploy at different pressure levels. The controller selectively activates specific portions based on occupant size, ensuring that the impact force is appropriately matched to the occupant's physique. This allows high pressure deployment when needed for larger occupants while providing gentler deployment for smaller occupants.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment pressure parameter is changed based on occupant characteristics. By detecting occupant physique and adjusting the deployment pressure accordingly, the system optimizes the balance between providing sufficient impact absorption and avoiding excessive force that could harm smaller occupants.
3Reliability
If a single airbag deployment pattern is used for all occupants, then the system is simple to control, but it cannot effectively restrain occupants of different sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of occupant physique before the collision occurs. This allows the controller to pre-determine the appropriate deployment pressure level and activate the corresponding airbag portions, ensuring optimal restraint effectiveness from the moment of impact without adding complex real-time control during the collision event.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle occupant protection device includes: a three-point seatbelt designed to be worn so as to cross the body of an occupant sitting in a seat of a vehicle; a force limiter that applies tension to the three-point seatbelt; an airbag device having an airbag designed to deploy in front of the upper body of the occupant sitting in the seat so as to support the upper body and head that are going to be thrown forward, the airbag having an upper-side portion, an outer-side portion, and an inner-side portion capable of deploying at different pressure levels; a controller that activates the force limiter and the airbag device upon a collision; and an occupant identification device that identifies the physique of the occupant sitting in the seat. The controller changes deployment of each portion of the airbag in accordance with the identified physique.